Georgy Girl
by Averysillybird
Summary: This is the third fanfiction in my fanfiction set centered around my OC Susan Aryd. A rash of kidnappings have occurred, and Lestrade needs Sherlock's help to find their suspect. Sherlock isn't the best with children, so john suggests that they involve Susan. Was that the best choice though? (Rated T because their is a bit of raunch between two female OCs.)
1. Introduction

Susan ran up the stairs, grinning. When she reached the doorway to the parlor she threw up her arms and cheered, "They agreed to hire me!" John poked his head out from the kitchen and said, "Congratulations! Would you like any tea?" "Oh I'd love some, thank you john," she said, taking off her coat and folding it gently into her bag. Sherlock looked up from the chair and asked blankly, "Who hired you?" "The café downstairs," She said, turning around. "You know you'll never be able to make enough money to afford your own food and rent working there," Sherlock said. Susan sighed, the smile drained from her face. She shrugged, "There isn't a lot of work available right now. I've already been lying and saying I am 17, but it's harder to fake training." John brought in the tea and set it on the coffee table, he poured five cups. Susan smiled politely, and said, "Thank you." There was a tense silence in the room as John handed Sherlock his cup and then sat on the other end of the couch. Susan didn't drink her tea, she just stared at it. John noticed and after a few sips he cleared his throat. "Perhaps we're going about this the wrong way? Perhaps we should think about things in the long term?" "Or perhaps we should let her plan out her own future while we get back to our case," Sherlock said, standing up. Susan nodded weakly, John looked at her sympathetically. "Come on John, I finished my tea, let's go," Sherlock said, grabbing his coat. Susan looked at him and nodded again as if it to say, _don't worry, just go. _John sighed and followed Sherlock, glancing back at Susan one last time before heading down the stairs.

"John? Is Sherlock out?" Susan asked timidly from the kitchen. John looked up from his typing and said, "Oh yeah, why? Do you need something?" "Um I just… I thought about what you said, and I would like your advice if that'd be alright…" She said, taking a few tentative steps towards him. "Oh about your plans for the future, right, sure," John said nodding, glancing at his computer and then shutting it. "Thank you," Susan said, she moved slowly across the room and sat at the other end of the couch. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I have no idea John, I have no idea what I am doing." She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, dear," John said, moving closer to her and gently setting a hand on her shoulder. "I know your schooling hasn't been the most consistent thing in the world, but that doesn't mean there aren't other options..." Susan uncovered her face, and stared at him, her eyes filled with doubt. John moved his hand from her shoulder and asked, "Well what sort of things do you want to do?" "Well, guess I want to help people who need me." John nodded slowly, and said, "You know what, I am going to talk to Lestrade." Susan looked at him with surprise. "After the way you were able to talk to that suspect before, there has to be something you can do there." He reopened the computer and began typing out an email to Lestrade. Susan started grinning, she leaned across the couch and hugged John from the side around his shoulders. He looked surprised and awkwardly patted her arm. Susan leaned back and said, "Thank you, thank you so much John. You don't know how much I appreciate this." "Hey, everyone needs someone to look out for them, don't they?" John said, smiling slightly. "Make sure to use the name Susan Baker, I am still technically a fugitive after all," she said with a slight chuckle.


	2. Section 1

"I don't understand why she wouldn't let me talk to him," Sherlock said crossly to John as they entered the flat, "That child knew information that was critical to this case." He sat in his chair firmly and crossed his arms across his chest. John entered the flat rolling his eyes. "Because Sherlock, you were so crass with her and the victim's mother, she thought you'd scare her son," John said, remaining standing. This time Sherlock rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. Susan poked her head out from the kitchen. "I got done with my shift early so I thought I'm make you two some dinner," She said. John smiled, nodded and said, "Thank you Susan." "Here I'll bring it out to you," She said, grabbing two bowls from the cupboards, and dipping her ladle into the pot on the stove. She carried out the two bowls and set one by Sherlock. She handed the other one to john who sat on the couch. "Oh! I forgot the spoons and the bread!" She returned and Sherlock sniffed at the stew. "It's vegetable stew. It's mostly carrots, peas, onions and potatoes," she said smiling. John, who had already starting eating look up and said, "Mmm, delicious." "Thank you John," She said. "A limited assortment of spices, but fascinating combination of flavors," Sherlock said, looking over at her. Susan chuckled, and said, "Thank you Sherlock." Sherlock ate another spoonful of stew, but then he suddenly stood up. "Susan, can you relate well to children?" He asked urgently. Susan took a step back in surprised, she blinked a few times, and said, "Uh, I suppose so, why?" "We need your assistance with a case," he glanced at his phone at and said, "if we leave now we will still have time to speak with him today." John set her bowl down and stood up, "Come on now Sherlock, you haven't finished your stew that Susan made especially for us. She also probably has no idea what you are even talking about." Sherlock glared at John and stormed back to his chair. He picked up the bowl and drank down the stew defiantly. "There I finished, I'll explain things to her in cab." John rolled his eyes again as Sherlock grabbed his coat and headed out the door. "I guess I am I staying here then," John called after him. "Good, there will be more room in the cab," Sherlock called back. Susan scrambled after him to keep up.

"There have been a series of kidnapping over the past few year that now appear to be connected, there is little known about the suspect. A few of the victim's family members believe they have seen her and they identify her as a young teenage female. Her exact reason for kidnapping is unknown," Sherlock stated as Susan nodded silently. She turned to him and asked, "What do you believe the child we are going to speak with will say?" "He is a friend of one of the victims. Several letters from the victim were delivered to the child's doorstep. One of the letters implies they met after the victim was kidnapped. We need to know where they met and what the victim's friend knows." Susan continued to nod, there was a determined look on her face. She spoke quietly, "Alright, I'll see what I can find out. What is the name of the victim this child knows?" "Charlotte."


	3. Section 2

The cab pulled up to a small, old fashion house. Sherlock paid the driver and began walking up the path that lead to the door. Susan tried to match his stride so they were side by side. When they reached the doorstep, Sherlock rang their doorbell. A middle-aged woman opened the door and stared at Sherlock, her face was tight. "I already told you, you can't speak with my son," she said coldly. "That's why I brought my assistant Susan," Sherlock stated, there was hint of smugness in his voice. The woman turned and seemed to notice the girl for the first time. Susan smiled and said quietly, "Hello" "Alright, you may come in," the woman said, turning around and walking into her home. Susan turned to Sherlock and said, "I have some money left from my tips today, I'll catch the tube home when I am done." Sherlock raised and eyebrow and Susan smiled. "Alright," Sherlock said and he turned around. Susan came inside and shut the door. She looked around, trying to figure out where the woman went. When she reached the end of the hall, she heard the sound of peeling vegetables. She followed it and saw the woman bent over the sink in the kitchen, peeling potatoes. "Excuse me, ma'am, I hate to interrupt but, may I speak with your son?" The woman stopped what she was doing, exhaled in frustration turned her head and yelled, "PETER!" Then she returned to her peeling. Susan took a step backwards in surprise when the woman yelled. She heard the noise of someone coming down the stairs. "Thank you!" she said to the woman as she turned around. She walked down the hall, and smiled when she saw a little boy peering around the end of the staircase's banister. She waved and said gently, "Hello." The boy took a tentative step closer, and Susan kneeled down. "My name is Susan, what's yours?" The boy took another step closer and said, "I'm Peter." "How old are you Peter?" He took another step closer, and said, "I'm seven." "Oh I was going to guess 9 or 10! Is your birthday soon?" He began to steadily move closer. Peter nodded and said, "Yeah, in a few weeks." When peter was close, Susan moved to sit cross-legged again the wall. Peering up at him Susan asked, "Do you remember your last birthday?" Peter giggled and sat next to her on the wall. "Of course! It was great!" Susan giggled a bit too, "Did you have a big birthday party?" Peter nodded eagerly. Susan continued, "Do you remember who came to your party?" "Well all my friends, Mary, John, Noah and… Charlotte. I think there were a lotta others too." Susan noticed how he paused before saying Charlotte's name. She stopped grinning and her face became more sympathetic. "Peter, do you ever miss Charlotte?" Peter looked away but nodded. "I understand Peter, it's hard when you don't get to see your friends." Peter looked up and said, "but it's ok because we write to one another." "Oh?" Susan said, changing her expression to match Peter's, "What kinds of things do you two write about to one another?" Peter shrugged and said, "All kinds of things, she really likes living where she does. She says it's really big, there's lots of space. She says her new momma is really nice, and it's just Charlotte, her new momma and a bunch of others kids." Peter glanced towards the kitchen where they could still hear his mother peeling and then leaned in and said quietly, "Sometimes I wish I lived there too." Susan pretended to not acknowledge the second part of what Peter was saying. "Has Charlotte ever shown you where she lives?" "No, but once I saw her when I was walking home from school, she pointed to where she lived and her new house was really really big and pretty." "If we go to your front window, could you point to the building where Charlotte lives now?" Peter seemed to think for a second but then nodded eagerly, "Yeah, I think so!" He stood up and raced to the large window in his living room. Susan followed behind him. When she reached the window, Peter pointed and said, "It's the big red-ish one, it's not too far a way only like twenty blocks or something." Susan looked closely and saw he was pointing to one of the near-by abandoned warehouses on the edge of the factory district. Susan grinned and said, "Thank you so much Peter, I have to get going but it's been wonderful to meet you. You'll make a wonderful eight year-old." "Oh thanks, no problem," Peter said, suddenly looking bashful. Susan hugged him gently and then quickly head out the door.

In reality the building was only about twelve blocks away. Susan walked those twelve blocks feeling a mixture of excitement and dread. When she was about a block from the building, she stopped. She dug through her purse and pulled out a small flashlight. She checked her purse for her pocketknife, and realized she left it back at the flat. The feeling of dread increased but she took a deep breath and pressed forward anyway. She walked up to the front doors of the building and examined them. There was a rusted chain around the handles, and on the chain was rusted lock. Susan stared at the lock. She gave the chain a few hard tugs, and it fell to the ground. She jumped at the loud clattering noise and froze. After a few seconds, she exhaled and gingerly pulled the chain from the door and set it beside the broken lock. She took another deep breath, closed her eyes and pushed open the door. The door creaked loudly and once again she froze, scanning the darkness. She took a tentative step forward and turned on her flashlight. Ahead of her was a single dark hallway. She began to walk down it, placing each step carefully. The sound of her footfall echoed. She winced at every sound she made. Susan became so focused on her own movements that she didn't see the shape moving just in front of her flashlight's beam. Suddenly she felt something collide with the front of her head. She swore she could hear the sound of cracking as the object hit her. Everything seemed to turn red and she felt as though she was moving in slow motion. Her knees gave way under her and she collapsed. She fought the blackness that she felt coming over her, but it was no use.


	4. Section 3

When Susan became conscious she tried to open her eyes. Everything was blurry and out of focus, the only thing she could see was that the room she was in was much brighter than the hallway. Turning her head slowly, she realized she was sitting on a mattress in the corner of a very large room, propped up on a few pillows against the wall. She tried to sit up on her own but she felt her head swim. She fell back, shutting her eyes with a quiet moan. She felt something cold touch her forehead and she opened her eyes again. In front of her was a very concerned face leaning towards her that seemed to be staring at something on her forehead. Susan tried to focus on the figure's eyes. They were a deep honey color. She realized the face belonged to a girl about her age. "Wh-where I am?" Susan murmured weakly. The girl took her cool rag from Susan's forehead, sat back and smiled slightly. "Well you're in our home," She said, with a surprising amount of warmth in her voice. "Am I still in the warehouse?" Susan asked, glancing around the room again. The girl nodded and looked apologetic, "Yes, I'm afraid I've taught all the children to attack first and ask questions later when it comes to intruders. I believe Charlotte hit you with a firepoker." Susan blinked a few times and reached up gingerly to touch her forehead. Her felt a large open wound, and inhaled nervously. The girl seemed to notice this and said, "Don't worry, it stopped bleeding now and I don't think your skull is fractured. You'll be fine." Susan shifted her focus to the girl again and asked, "Did you say what your name was?" The girl shook her head but then smiled again, "No, I didn't, but my name is Georgette. Most people call me Georgy." Susan found herself returning Georgy's smile as she said, "I'm Susan." Then she found herself loosing consciousness again.

When Susan awoke again, she was feeling a bit stronger. This time, she was able to sit up without collapsing right away. For the first time she noticed quietly playing children in the room and what appeared to be several other beds. "They're so quiet," Susan remarked, after watching them for a bit. Georgy sat by her side, carrying a bowl of something and nodding. "I asked them to be on especially good behavior until you felt better." She looked at Georgy with surprise. "And they listen to you that well?" she asked. Georgy laughed and said, "Of course! They love me." She took a spoon out of the bowl and brought it to Susan's mouth. For a second Susan looked at, wondering how suspicious she should be. She glanced at Georgy's eyes and then back to the spoon. She exhaled and tentatively put the spoon in her mouth. The warm broth tasted incredible as Susan realized how hungry she was. She reached for the bowl and Georgy handed it to her, but didn't move away. Susan began eating the soup as quickly as she could, lifting the bowl to drain the last few drops. Georgy laughed again and said, "I thought you'd be hungry." Susan smiled and set the bowl down on the ground. Suddenly Georgy's expression changed slight and she asked quietly, "Susan, why are you here?" Susan swallowed nervously and took a deep breath before saying, "Honestly Georgy, I live with a detective named Sherlock Holmes that is working on a kidnapping case. I was told by a friend of one of the kidnapped children that the kidnapper lived here." Georgy's face grew slightly stormy and she asked quietly, "Do you know why I bring the children here to live with me?" Susan shook her head, trying to maintain control over her expression. "Because their parents don't love them. Sure, a lot of them are showered with material things but they aren't given enough love," she said, glaring at the ground. She looked up and met Susan's eyes. "Doesn't every child deserve to be loved?" Susan met her question with an expression of bewilderment. Georgy sighed and looked away, "Maybe I can't give them the best material things, but I give them a real family here and they love it here." She looked at Susan again and said, "So many of them just wanted to be loved Susan. I saw this and my heart broke, I had to give them at love." Susan began to nod slowly, now understanding what Georgy meant. Georgy's expression lightened slightly, taking Susan's nodding as a sigh of acceptance. "Do you have a family Susan?" she asked gently. Susan was slightly taken aback by the way the conversation had shift but she chuckled and shook her head. "No, my mom died several years ago, and my dad died a few months ago. I never had any siblings," she said, looking away from Georgy. Georgy smiled sympathetically, and placed her hand on Susan's saying, "You know we could be your family." Susan pulled her hand away but looked at the room full of smiling children. She exhaled and said to Georgy, "I feel exhausted, I need to get some more rest." Georgy nodded and said, "Oh of course." She stood up and paused before adding, "I'm sorry if I brought back any painful memories Susan." Susan smiled slightly and said, "No, i-it's fine, don't worry about it." "Alright," Georgy said, kneeling down and squeezing Susan's hand gently, "I'll be here when you wake-up." She stood up, turned around and headed towards one of the child. Susan felt a shiver go down her spine, only it was a strangely pleasant sort of shiver. "Am I gaining feelings for Georgy?" she murmured quietly to herself. She shook her head slightly to clear those thoughts and turned to face the wall as she laid down. "No, I can't be," she murmured, drifting off to sleep.


	5. Section 4

Susan woke up to the soft sound of a guitar playing and someone singing along with it. She turned over and saw Georgy surrounded by the children. Susan smiled and listened silently. Georgy finished the song she was playing, the children cheered and begged for more. Georgy laughed and stared playing another song. Susan sighed blissfully, she felt another shiver run through her body. Taking a deep breath, Susan sat up and slowly began pushing herself up. She stood shakily leaning against the wall for support. Taking another deep breath she took a step forwards. She steadied herself, and then took another step. Gradually she moved across the room and by the end of the song Susan stood behind Georgy. Georgy looked up at Susan when she finished, and she grinned, standing up. "Well look at you!" She said. Georgy turned back to the children and said, "Alright, quiet play time now." The children cheered and dispersed. Susan suddenly felt extremely dizzy, Georgy noticed her teetering and reached out to catch her. Susan fell into Georgy's arms, and Georgy helped her gently back to the bed. Georgy helped Susan pull the blankets up around her. Both girls were giggling as Georgy knelt by the side of Susan's bed. Susan stared into Georgy's eyes, she blushed and said, "I don't know if anyone has ever told you this before but your voice and your guitar skills are enchanting," She exhaled and felt herself leaning closer to Georgy, "Almost as enchanting as your eyes are." Georgy blushed, grinning, and said, "Oh please, your eyes are far more enchanting." They continued staring into one another's eyes, slowly moving close. "Your eyes are a gorgeous honey color with specks of dark brown and yellow, the longer I stare at them, the deeper they get," Susan murmured. "And your eyes are the color of the sky, with speckles of green and gray, the more I stare at them, the more complex they are," Georgy cooed. Suddenly, the distance between them disappeared. Susan kissed Georgy passionately, wrapping her arms around Georgy's shoulder, pulling her closer. Georgy wrapped her arms around Susan's waist. Susan pulled away for a second and murmured, "Be careful, if you leave any marks, Sherlock will know what happened." Georgy giggled and said, "Don't worry, I'd have to be gentle because of your head anyway." Susan hands moved up to Georgy's hair, she exhaled and moaned a bit. Suddenly Georgy pulled away and looked at the children, then back at Susan. "There is another room just through those doors." Susan nodded and said, "I'll need your help up though." Georgy stood, giggling again. She gently pulled Susan to her feet. They gripped each other's hands as they scampered through the near by double doors.

Over the next few days, Susan continued to feel better. Her relationship with Georgy continued to grow, and before long she was quite convinced she was in love with her. Thoughts of Sherlock and John continued to gnaw at her, though, and by the time she could stand up and walk on her own, she could no longer ignore those thoughts. Despite how strong her feelings were for Georgy, she missed 221b Baker Street. One night she lie awake, contemplating Georgy's offer of letting her join their family. Suddenly, she realized something. "But John and Sherlock are my family," she murmured in the dark. A wave if guilt washed over as she realized what she had to do. She cried slightly, feeling torn by her conflicting emotions.


	6. Section 5

The next day Georgy noticed how morose Susan seemed. When they were alone she looked at her lover with concern and asked, "Are you alright?" Susan forced a smile on her face and nodded. She stared off into the distance and muttered, "I'm just thinking about john and Sherlock. Georgy's expression didn't change as she gently reached out and took Susan's hand. "I love you," she whispered. Susan turned to face Georgy and said earnestly, "I love you too."

-  
That night, after Georgy had put the children to bed, Susan walked up to her and embraced her tightly. Georgy seemed surprised but hugged her back. They pulled apart for a second and Georgy saw there were tears in Susan's eyes. "What's wrong?" Georgy asked fearfully. Susan didn't respond, she just leaned forward and kissed her passionately. Susan pulled away and moved her hand so she was gingerly touching Georgy's face, "I love you Georgy, I love you so much." Georgy smiled nervously and said, "I love you too Susan." Georgy kissed her gently and said, "Good night Susan, I'll see you in the morning," "Good night Georgy," Susan said, tears welling up in her eyes again. Georgy tried to deny the feel that was welling up inside her. Deep down she knew Susan was saying Goodbye but she couldn't accept it.

Susan lay awake for what seemed like days, listening for the sound of Georgy's breathing changing. When she heard it she took a deep breath and sat up, looking over at her lover one last time. She ached to kiss her and hold her, but she knew she couldn't. As quietly as she could, Susan stood up and walked through the familiar double doors near her bed. She walked through the room that she and Georgy had made love in, and felt as though as she might cry again. She was able to choke back the tears as she opened a small window and pulled herself through it. She fell onto a patch of grass ,and stood up, dusting herself off. She began walking towards the sidewalk, knowing she couldn't look back. Silently, the tears streamed down her face again. "I promise, I meant it Georgy, I promise I did," she murmured quietly.


	7. Section 6

Susan opened the door as quietly as possible, and took a step inside. She gingerly shut the door behind her and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. She slid down until she was sitting with her knees against her chest. She was finally home. She chuckled slightly and whispered under her breath, "This really is home isn't it?" She heard the sound of Sherlock's violin drifting down the stairs and she smiled. Susan pushed herself up and walked slowly up the stairs. She looked through the doorway at Sherlock whose eyes were closed as he was lost in the music. She stood, just appreciating the moment, not wanting to ruin it. Sherlock finished the piece and opened his eyes. Immediately he saw Susan, and raised one of his eyebrows. Susan only smiled wider, Sherlock looked towards the kitchen and called, "John, call Lestrade." "What?" John asked with a hint of irritation and a yawn, coming into the living room in this nightclothes looking at Sherlock. Sherlock turned his gaze to Susan and John looked at him with confusion for a second before following his gaze. When he saw her, his whole body signed in relief, "Oh thank god." She took a step into the room and blushed, staring at her feet. "Can I have a welcome home hug?" She asked quietly, looking up. John walked over to her and said, "Why not?" as he wrapped his arms around her with a smile. Susan laughed and tears of happiness welled in her eyes. She and John pulled apart and Sherlock took a step closer. "While I understand there is a large amount of sentiment in this reunion, Lestrade still needs to be notified," He said rather matter of fact. "Oh right! Yes!" John said, scrambling over to the coffee table where his cellphone was. He picked up the phone, and said, "Hello Lestrade?... She's returned home… Yes call off the search… We'll let you know more details later." He hung up and Susan looked surprised. "You two were so worried you reported me missing?" Sherlock responded curtly, "No, we reported you missing because that was the most logical conclusion as to why you had been gone as long as you had." John's attention had turned back to Susan and suddenly noticed the large gash on her forehead. He approached her, staring at it with concern. "That does not look good," he said, gingerly touching the skin around it. Susan flinched and said, "Ow." John sighed and nodded, noting, "Just what I was afraid of, it's already infected." Susan smiled weakly, shook her head, and pulled away from him slightly, "It's alright, really, it's much better than it was a few days." Sherlock took another step forward and said, "Susan, we need to know what you've discovered." She took a deep breath and nodded her agreement. "Um no," John said, stepping between Sherlock and Susan, looking back and forth at the two of them. "I need to treat that wound," He said, emphatically pointing at it. Sherlock sighed and rolled his eyes, returning to his chair with a look of frustration. Susan thought for a moment, glancing between Sherlock and John. She sat on the couch and said, "I could always explain the story while you treat me John." John looked at Sherlock who sighed again and said, "Alright that will work." He turned his chair and gestured as he spoke, "But I need you to focus." Susan nodded earnestly and John disappeared into the kitchen, muttering something about finding the disinfectant. "Where should I start?" Susan asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "What happened after I left you at Peter's home?" It was hard for Susan to remember, everything before Georgy seemed like eons ago. Sherlock saw her struggling, he leaned forward and asked, "Did he tell you anything?" Susan nodded, memory coming back to her. "Yes, yes," she said, staring at the ceiling, she brought her gaze back down to look Sherlock's. "He told me he had met with his friend on his way home from school, she pointed out where she was staying to him. Peter was able to point out the building to me," She said, staring at the wall behind Sherlock. John came into the room, and Susan followed him with her eyes. He sat on the couch next to her and pulled out a bottle and a cloth. He wet the cloth with the liquid from the bottle. "Alright this is going to sting," John said, bringing the cloth towards her forehead. Susan bit her lip in preparation, and winced. However Sherlock's impatient stare at John told her she should continue the story while John blotted at her wound. "I uh… I found the building he had pointed to," she laughed and stared at her feet, shaking her head. She looked back up at Sherlock and continued, "I realize I should have come home and reported the building location to you but instead my curiosity and urge to prove myself got the best of me." "So you, who was completely unarmed at the time, went to the building where you had reason to believe a kidnapper was hiding," Sherlock stated, slightly amused and mocking. Susan laughed again and nodded. "Yeap," she said, before her expression grew serious again and she continued, "I entered the building through the main doors into a dark corridor. A child snuck up when I wasn't looking and hit me in the forehead with a firepoker." John stopped for a second and said, "What? This is from a firepoker?! Jesus Christ, I'm surprised your skull didn't crack open." He said, staring at the wound again. Sherlock cleared his throat as if to say, _continue. _John sighed and held the cloth against the wound. "I woke up a few hours later to the kidnapper attending my wound," she added, wincing from the disinfectant. Sherlock raised his eyebrow again, he seemed mildly surprised and almost impressed. "We talked some, I learned her name was Georgette… I guess I never learned her last name… She told me her motive though," She said, quieter, staring at the ground so Sherlock couldn't read the emotions in her eyes. She took a deep breath, though and stared Sherlock in eyes when she said, "She was trying to give the kids love in a way their families had not, and the kids knew that. They loved her in return." Sherlock seemed suspicious of Susan's sudden emphasis, but seemed to file it away as he leaned back in his chair, bringing his fingertips together. "Can you find the building again?" he asked quietly. Susan nodded slowly. Sherlock turned his attention to John and said, "It's best if we confront her before Lestrade and his agents come in and muddle everything." John nodded in agreement and stood up adding, "And maybe we can get the children out of there too." Susan suddenly looked panicked. She stood up too and said, "Are you sure we should go after her now?" When she saw Sherlock's expression grow even more suspicious, she quickly looked at the ground and tried to compose herself. A silence filled the flat and John looked confused but shook his head, realizing no one was going to explain to him what was going on. "Come on let's go," John said, grabbing his coat. "Yes, let's," Sherlock said, not taking his eyes off Susan who was still staring at the ground, now fighting off tears. Sherlock grabbed his coat as well and the two of them headed towards the doorway. Sherlock turned when he reached the top of the stairs and said to Susan, who was still staring at the ground, "Coming?" Susan looked up, and nodded quickly, still not meeting Sherlock's eyes. She ran to catch up with the two men who were now headed down the stairs.


	8. Section 7

They arrived at the abandoned factory, Sherlock stayed instep with Susan who continued to stare at the ground. John followed behind them, still wondering what the hell was going on. When Susan and Sherlock reach the door, they stopped and she finally looked up. Still avoiding Sherlock's eyes, she concentrated on the chain wrapped around the door handles. A shiver rippled through her body as she remembered the last time she stood here. She took off the lock that was only resting on the chain and set it aside, Sherlock reached over and pulled the chain off the door. Susan flinched at the noise it made. Sherlock pulled open the door and with touch of humor in his voice said, "Ladies first. Susan took a deep breath and walked through the door. When Sherlock continued to hold open the door for John, he rolled his eyes. Sherlock entered and pulled the door shut behind him. The three of them now stood in the dark hallway, though Susan realized it was not as dark as she had remembered it being. "Does anyone have a flashlight?" John asked quietly. This question was completely ignored and john mumbled under his breath, "Why do I even bother to come along?" Suddenly, the faint sound of cautious footsteps could be heard down the hall. Susan took a step forward and called, "Charlotte, is that you?" Suddenly, there was a small sphere of light in the hallway, and a little girl holding a firepoker and flashlight was now illuminated. "S-susan?" the little girl asked, moving closer. Susan grinned and nodded, kneeling down. "Yes it's me." The little girl stopped and said, "Did you do something to momma?" Susan's expression changed and she nodded reluctantly, "I'm afraid I did Charlotte, I left without telling her good bye." Charlotte nodded slowly, as if she was beginning to understand. "You should follow me then, she's been crying since she woke up. She was too sad to make breakfast," the little girl said, turning around and heading down the hallway. Susan turned and whispered to Sherlock and John, "Would you guys be willing to trail behind me a bit, I don't want her to see you right away." Sherlock raised an eyebrow but nodded, when he saw Sherlock nodding, John nodded too. Susan smiled a bit and jogged to catch up with Charlotte.

-  
The hall opened into the large, bright, familiar room and Susan had to take another deep breath. Near the center of the room, she saw Georgy sitting against one of the support beams, her face buried in her lap. Susan knew she was crying. It took all her will power not to run up to her, wrap her arms around her, kiss her, and apologize between her own sobs. Susan exhaled and took another few steps into the room. "Georgy?" She said, quietly. Suddenly the girl in the middle of the room looked up, her bloodshot eyes grew large. She struggled to her feet, grinning. "S-susan?" she said, rubbing her eyes as if to make she wasn't imagining things. Susan bit lip to keep the tears away as she nodded. "Oh Susan," Georgy said, taking a few steps forward before suddenly noticing the two figures standing at the end of the hall. Her expression changed to one of confusion and fear, she took a step backwards. When her eyes turned to Susan again, her face was full of anger and hurt. "H-how, could you do this to me?" she stammered, glancing between Susan and the two men. Sherlock took a step forward and said, "John, call Lestrade now, but tell him not to enter the building until he hears again from us." John nodded, and pulled out his cellphone, moving towards one of the corners. Georgy became more frantic, and Sherlock took a step forward. "I suggest you remain where you are, if you try to run it will only drag things on," He said, with intense authority. Georgy turned to stare at Susan again who seemed to be frozen, crippled under her conflicting emotions. Tears formed in Georgy's eyes as she whispered, "I thought you said you loved me." Now Susan couldn't keep back the tears, she shook her head and stared at her feet again. "I do, I do love you Georgy," She said. After a few short breaths, Susan looked up and murmured, "What you said, about family, though… It stuck with me, and I realized… I realized and that John and Sherlock are my family now, and I couldn't abandon them… You have to understand Georgy… I couldn't abandon them." She took another breath and was now yelling, "I mean everything I said to you… this decision has… torn me up inside… but it needed to be made." Susan was finally able to take a deep breath and finished, with an eerie calm, "I know why you did what you did, but I promise you, even if they don't show it, those families still loved their children. They need to go home Georgy, please, I've done everything I can to understand you, now I need you to understand me." Suddenly George straightened up, and nodded somberly. The tears stopped flowing down her face. There was an intense silence in the room. At last John spoke, "Lestrade is on his way." He looked at the children who all stood, silently and utterly bewildered in the far corner. He nodded to himself and said, "We should probably get them out of here now." Charlotte, who had been standing in front of the others took a step forward and shouted, "No! We only listen to Momma!" Georgy turned suddenly, she forced a smile on her face. "No, children, he's right, you should follow him," she said, gently. The children looked utterly confused and Georgy tried to widen her smile. At last Charlotte took another step forward and said, "But what about you momma?" "What about me honey?" Suddenly Charlotte ran up and hugged Georgy around her thighs, Georgy put a comforting hand on her back. "We aren't going to see you again are we?" the little girl sobbed, staring up at Georgy. Georgy knelt down and petted the girl's hair softly, "Shhh, of course you will." She looked up to the other children as well and said, "I'll always be with all of you, I promise. You just have to look into your hearts." Georgy looked over at John and said, "I promise that man won't hurt you and that you'll be safe." Charlotte stared at John who was smiling nervously. Glancing one more time at Georgy, Charlotte reluctantly walked up to John and motioned for the others to follow. "May I borrow your flashlight?" John asked, as the headed down the hall. Georgy stood and turned to face Sherlock and Susan again. There was a silence, as they all seemed to be listening in anticipation for the sound of the door shutting. When the soft thud echoed down the hall, Georgy reached down and pulled something out of a bag that was leaning against the post. Susan only had a split second to wonder what the object was, and then she saw, with a feeling of shear horror, that Georgy was holding a gun. Susan took a step towards her, with her hands out, "No Georgy there is no reason to do anything rash," She said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. Georgy laughed stared down at the gun in her hands before looking up at Susan again. Sherlock stood silently calculating what his next moves could be. "I know you mean it Susan, I know you love me, and you know what? I love you too," She said, and before Susan knew what was happening, Georgy had aimed the gun at her chin and pulled the trigger. The next few seconds seem to happen in slow motion, Susan was not entirely sure she was conscious as she staggered forward. She picked up Georgy's body, and cradled it on her lap, sobbing, not noticing the blood that was staining her skirt. She kissed Georgy's lifeless lips. She had no idea how much time had passed when she felt someone trying to pull Georgy away from her, "No!" She screamed, but she felt someone holding her back. The person had a tight grip on her, and soon she had to give up fighting. She sat limp, staring as Georgy's body was placed on a cot and carried down the hall. The figure that held her back, was now helping her to her feet. She looked, everything was still blurred but she could make out a familiar face. "Sh-sherlock?" she murmured, but the figure said nothing, instead he guided her silently down the hallway. "Oh God Susan," John said, running towards her as he saw her stumbling down the path with Sherlock's help. Sherlock turned his attention to John and said, "She's uninjured, but I believe she is in shock." Susan turned her head and tried to focus on John who was staring at her in concern. "You should help her home, I will stay here and speak with Lestrade," John nodded and placed his arm gently around Susan's shoulder. He tried to look her in the eyes as he said, "It's going to be ok, I promise." Susan nodded slightly, the world around her still moved in a slow motion blur. He lead her to a near by taxi. The driver looked at her in disgust and John shot him a glare as if to say, _you have no right to judge her right now. _The driver turned around, muttering something about not making a mess. John helped her into the cab, and she leaned silently against the window of the cab, staring off into the sunrise. John stared at her, unsure what to say. He had seen so many of his friends lose people they were close to in the war, but she was so young and this was so unexpected. He reached over and gently touched her hand. Susan looked down at her hand and then up at John. Her mind was racing, yet standing still at the same time. She stared at John for several minutes before returning to her window. John turned to the drive and said, "Would you be willing to play the radio softly?" The driver nodded and switched it on. An upbeat tune from the 60s was playing and John smiled slightly, but then the lyrics started. _Hey there, Georgy girl, Swingin' down the street so fancy-free, Nobody you meet could ever see the loneliness there - inside you, Hey there, Georgy girl… _Susan seemed to flinch at the name and John quickly turned around and said, "You know what, nevermind." "Alright," the driver said, switching it off. Susan took a deep breath. Still staring out the window she murmured, "I'm just like my dad, everyone I am close to is going to die." John reached over and squeezed her hand again, but this time Susan didn't seem to notice.


	9. Conclusion

When they reach the apartment, John helped Susan up the steps. When they reach the top, though, she stopped and suddenly stared at her hands. They began to shake, and without warning, she ran past John who blinked in surprise. She rushed to the bathroom, and seemed to stop for a second. John followed behind her asking quietly, "What's wrong Susan?" The girl didn't answer, she ran to the toilet and began vomiting. She couldn't stop until everything was out of her system. John watched, wishing there was something, anything he could do to help her. She fell to her side and curled up in a ball with a moan, John rushed to her and said, "Hold on Susan, everything is going to be alright." Suddenly she looked down at her hands again, though, and scrambled weakly to her feet. John stood up as well and watched as she rushed to the sink. She turned the water on and coated her hands in soap. After she had been scrubbing for a bit she noticed John again and said, "I really need to be alone right now." John blinked before realizing what she was asking. He nodded, and said, "Right, I'll be… I'll be in the parlor if you need me." Susan went back to scrubbing her hands without acknowledging his last statement.

-  
When Sherlock returned, he came up the stairs and stood in the entryway of the parlor. He looked around and asked a very lost looking John, who was sitting on the couch, "Where is she?" John crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "She's in the bathroom, she's been trying to get all the blood off of her for about the last hour," he said, staring straight ahead. With a sigh he looked up at Sherlock and said, "I have no idea what to do, she says she want to be left alone." Sherlock nodded, staring off into the distance, clearly thinking. He looked down at John and said, "John, you look exhausted." "Yeah, well I feel exhausted." "Go to bed, I can handle this." John raised one of his eyebrows, clearly unconvinced. "You didn't sleep last night, you won't be any help at all in your current state. Please. Go. To. Bed." John stood up with another sigh and wandered towards his bedroom, muttering about not being able to sleep anyway.

-  
Susan was scrubbing at her legs with a damp towel when she heard the sound of Sherlock's violin. She continued scrubbing, still desperately trying to clean herself. Suddenly she realized the tune he was playing and stopped. Her eyes grew wide, and she set the towel on the counter. She walked through the kitchen to the Parlor where Sherlock's back was to her. She paused for a second moving silently to sit on the couch. She pulled her flute from her bag and began to assemble it. As Sherlock finished the piece, he glanced over his shoulder and saw her sitting at attention with the flute to her mouth. He began the piece again, and she joined in. She closed her eyes as her fingers flew across the keys, her breathing fell back to normal. When the piece ended, she lowered her flute. She exhaled and a small smile came to her face. She set her flute on the couch and suddenly stood up and hugged Sherlock who look bewildered for a second before gently place his hand on her back. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "You have no idea what this means to me," She buried her head in his chest again and said, "I didn't think you'd actually learn it." Sherlock chuckled slightly and said, "I had planned originally to play it with you on your birthday, but this opportunity seemed more meaningful."


	10. Epilogue

Susan came up the steps, and into the Parlor. John was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper and Sherlock was perched in his chair. John set down his paper and smiled at her. "How'd the interview go?" Susan smiled and sat on the other end of the couch. "Great! I am now officially a paid intern at Scotland yard," She said, cheerfully. John smiled even wider and said, "Way to go!" Susan laughed and said, "Well apparently two very trusted people put in good words for me," staring at Sherlock who was now clearly trying to ignore her. Her expression changed though and she sheepishly looked at the floor. "He can't pay much right now though, so I don't think I'll be able to find a place anytime soon." Suddenly Sherlock stood up and said, "On that note, we have a something for you." Susan looked up in surprise, and slight confusion. She stared at Sherlock as he walked to the other side of the couch. Suddenly she noticed a piece of furniture covered in a blanket that had not been there before. Sherlock pulled the blanket off dramatically to reveal a small wooden dresser. "Wait, is that for me?" Susan asked, blinking. Sherlock nodded, returning to his chair and John explained, "We decided it'd be alright if you stayed with us for a bit longer, we think you should save your money for something like University. We thought if you were staying with us you should have somewhere to keep your things… someplace more permanent than your suitcase." Susan gasped in delight and hugged first John and then Sherlock. "Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you so much," She stammered. Sherlock added, "We still expect you to help supply the food budget though." Susan laughed and said, "Of course, maybe I'll even have time now to teach you two how to cook."


End file.
